Critics of Education Savings Accounts often argue that the program offers little to rural Iowa because most private schools are located in larger communities.
The enrollment data says otherwise.
As I wrote back in April in the 2022–23 school year, the last school year before ESAs, through 2025–26, 186 rural public school districts saw an increase in resident students attending nonpublic schools. Twenty-five rural districts went from no nonpublic enrollment to active enrollment.
ESAs cannot place a school in every community, but they can make existing rural private schools affordable, help new rural private schools open, and allow rural private schools to grow.
1. ESAs make existing schools affordable
Many rural communities already have an accredited nonpublic school nearby. The barrier for some families is not distance, but tuition.
That is especially true for parents enrolling more than one child. A family may believe a nonpublic school offers the academic approach, religious instruction, culture, or individual attention their child needs but still be unable to afford it.
For the 2026–27 school year, each eligible student receives $8,148. The funds must first be used for tuition and fees at an accredited Iowa nonpublic school.
For many parents, ESAs make a nearby school a realistic option.
2. ESAs help create new schools
Rural school choice should not be measured only by the schools that existed before the program began.
Starting a private school requires families, teachers, facilities, accreditation, and enough tuition revenue to remain financially sustainable. ESAs give more parents the ability to enroll, making it easier for a new school to build a stable student body.
Iowa has already seen examples. Tama-Toledo Christian School opened in 2025 in a region that previously had no nonpublic school. Waverly Christian School opened for the 2025–26 school year and plans to add grades over time.
ESAs do not create schools by themselves. They help parents and community leaders turn local demand into enrollment.
3. ESAs help rural schools grow
Additional enrollment can have a significant effect on a small rural school.
More students may allow a school to hire a teacher, add a classroom, improve facilities, expand programs, or serve additional grade levels. Enrollment growth can also make it easier to retain teachers and plan for the future.
The number and size of Iowa’s private schools are not fixed. Existing schools can expand, and new schools can open when families have the resources to support them.
Rural parents deserve meaningful choices
Not every family will choose a nonpublic school, and public schools will remain central to rural Iowa.
But parents who believe another school would better serve their child should not be prevented from choosing it because tuition is beyond their reach.
ESAs help rural families afford existing schools, support the creation of new schools, and strengthen the schools already serving their communities.